Friday, June 19, 2015

Man in Search for Meaning

The search for truth about existence is one of the most
elusive things man can seek. And yet at some level we all seek it, if we are to
be honest with ourselves. At least that is how I see the conundrum of
existence. Truth encompasses many facets. One of the most important is the concept
of ‘meaning’. The philosophical
question, “Why are we here?” is one that has been pondered many times by many
people. The answer to this question may not be explicable in concrete
irrefutable terms. Which is why we are in constant search of it.

But for many of us the only way to make sense of existence
is to give it meaning. The idea that everything is random with no meaning is a
horrible fate for mankind. Life without meaning means that there is no purpose
to life. We are born. We live. And then we die. End of story. There is no reason that we are here. It is a
meaningless random act of nature that will ultimately come to an inglorious end
when the sun blows up a few billion years from now. There is no world to come. There
is just now. This is how atheists see
the world. They can only accept the reality of the 5 physical senses. Anything beyond
that is the figment of someone’s imagination. What cannot be experienced with at
least one of those 5 senses cannot be proven and does not exist.

I for one reject that. I believe in a
Creator. Which explains - how - we got here. Once you have a Creator, you
must say that He had a purpose in creation. And that is what gives our lives
meaning. For Jews meaning can be found in Torah. That is God’s purpose for the
Jewish people. Just as we believe the seven Noah-ide laws are for the rest of humanity. Following those laws is what gives a
humanity meaning… a purpose in life.

All this has bearing on the question of why someone secular
would become religious, why a religious Jew might become secular, and why someone secular that had become religious might once again become secular.

There is an excellent article in a blog called PopChasid
that discusses this very issue. I believe he comes very close to nailing it. His point is that Kiruv
organizations that focus on the fun parts of Judaism in
order to draw people in will ultimately fail if that is all they focus upon. His
premise is that those who become religious and stay that way are seeking
a higher truth that will give their lives meaning. When they find it, they are the ones that for the most part will stay religious.

In some cases (certainly in his own) people like this become
disillusioned with the seemingly endless number of supposedly religious Jews
that have been found guilty of crimes. Whether crimes of passion or crimes of
finance. He does not buy into the argument “Don’t judge Judaism by its Jews”.
If one buys into Judaism and the high values it represents, then people should
be judged by that standard. If prominent religious Jews don’t live up to them,
then the religion appears to be populated by hypocrites. The high purpose of
life seems meaningless to these people. And that disillusions many Baalei Teshuva
who sought Judaism because of the high ideals that give it meaning. Here is how
he puts it:

Living in corrupt communities, in communities that are
broken in many ways, that, in my opinion, are worse off than many secular
communities, wears on the soul of a Jew. It is painful, and worse, it is
a signal, in his mind, that what he believes in is false. And worst of
all, it is a roadblock to transcendence.

That's why they might leave. But when it comes to outreach, many Kiruv organizations are mistaken. They are deceptive in how they sell
Judaism. I don’t mean that Kiruv professionals purposely deceive Jews they are
reaching out to. But that they focus on fun instead of meaning. This kind of
Kiruv will ultimately fail. Because once the fun wears off, and they see how
difficult it is to practice, they will just chuck it and find other ways to
have fun.

This does not mean that Kiruv organizations should abandon
fun activities in order to attract Jews. But it does mean that there has to be
honesty about what Judaism entails. And that the true motive for someone
changing his way of life so completely is the realization that Judaism is about
a way of life that gives it meaning. It is not about fun. Although there are
many things in Judaism that are quite enjoyable, that is not its purpose.
Serving God in all ways, not just in fun ways. Because that is what God
requires of us. And it is what Gives a
Jewish life meaning.

Warning:This post was not meant as an opening for debate
about belief in God or the truth of Torah. Those are givens on this blog. Any
attempt to debate matters of belief will be deleted.

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About Me

My outlook on Judaism is based mostly on the teachings of my primary Rebbe, Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik from whom I received my rabbinic ordination. It is also based on a search for spiritual truth. Among the various sources that put me on the right path, two great philosophic works stand out: “Halakhic Man” and “Lonely Man of Faith” authored by the pre-eminent Jewish philosopher and theologian, Rabbi, Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Of great significance is Rabbi, Dr. Norman Lamm's conceptualization and models of Torah U’Mada and Dr. Eliezer Berkovits who introduced me to the world of philosophic thought. Among my early influences were two pioneers of American Elementary Torah Chinuch, Rabbis Shmuel Kaufman and Yaakov Levi. The Yeshivos I attended were Yeshivas Telshe for early high school and more significantly, the Hebrew Theological College where for a period of ten years, my Rebbeim included such great Rabbinic figures as Rabbis Mordechai Rogov, Shmaryahu Meltzer, Yaakov Perlow, Herzl Kaplan, and Selig Starr. I also attended Roosevelt University where I received my Bachelor's Degree - majoring in Psychology.